The last remaining petanque court in Calderdale has been lovingly restored to its former glory.

The refurbished court, in Sowerby Bridge’s Crow Wood Park, is now open for use by anyone who would like to play a game of French boules.

The work was made possible by the Friends of Crow Wood Park, who applied for a grant to bring the unloved court back to life.

The transformed court was officially opened on Sunday.

Bob Galtrey, Chairman of the Friends of Crow Wood Park, said: “It was rundown and it had been vandalised. If you go back a few years, its always been quite popular and there is a Pye Nest petanque team.

“But this is the last remaining court in Calderdale, so we got a grant for £550 from the Sowerby Bridge Ward Forum.

“We also got some help from the council’s Safer, Cleaner, Greener team, who did quite a lot of the work, such as building a fence and laying some sand on the surface.

“It’s looking great now and it’s open to anybody interested in playing.”

And to make the opening even more special and with a nod to petanque’s Gallic origins, the court had a French visitor.

Bob’s nephew, Alan Beuze, who lives in France, went along to the court to join the group for a game.

“We thought, why not have a real Frenchman to reopen the court and kick it off,” Bob added.